record labels!

A record label is a brand image associated with the marketing and promotion of music productions and music videos. The label are usually responsible for promotion, copyright protection. The term ''label'' comes from the round sticker in the centre of a vinyl record.

Labels vary from smaller, independent (indie) institutions to ''major'' labels which are bigger and control a string of smaller labels, acting as a ''super power'' on the industry. This of course has changed over the years as various businesses fight for market share.

Major labels (1988-1998) - Big six
1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony music
4. BMG music
5. Universal music group
6. Polygram

Major labels (1998 - 2004) - Big five
1. Warner Music Group
2. EMI
3. Sony music
4. BMG
5. Universal Music group - (Polygram absorbed into UMG)

Major labels (2004-2008) - Big four
1. Warner music group
2.EMI
3.Sony BMG (Sony and BMG joint venture)
4.Universal Music group

Major labels (Since 2009) - Big four
1.Sony music entertainment
2.EMI group
3.Warner music group
4.UniversalMusic group

With huge technological leaps recording music and songs is not what the record labels main function is. With technology such as laptop software, cheap and chearful microphones or even a simple phone recorder, artists are actually able to create and record their own music with reasonable ease and quality. However, it is still far to say that you still need a 'great' song, skillful engineer and a talented, well put together act to make an enduring record. This is what record labels are good at, not simply recording.

Record labels are essential doing what they do now the same as 50 years ago, creating and selling the goods. However there is a noticeable change in the number of smaller boutique labels owned by big artists and fewer 'major labels'. It is quite clear that the general public are getting tired of the same mass produced generic artists and are taking to the more flexible and adaptable variations found through the smaller labels. Many great contemporary artists in fact do not perform under a label and are in fact independent in a different form.